Tuesday, April 4, 2017

The Oilers are on the Verge of Something Special

It's been 11 years since the Edmonton has had a taste of playoff hockey. They will make their long anticipated trip back in 9ish days. They have the most exciting team in hockey right now and fans are not only gearing up for a long playoff run but also perhaps a decade long run of domination that will bring fans back to the glory days of the 80"s.

Why has the turn around happened so fast. You only have to look as far as Connor McDavid who is not only is the best teenager in the game but he is also NHL's best player. He has collected 94 points this season by scoring 29 goals and dishing out 65 assists. All on top of his +28 on the ice.

As predictable as it has been, McDavid has inspired the Oilers fans in two short years. This year their everyone's dark horse to win the Stanley Cup. However in the coming years they will be the overwhelming favorites to win the Cup. In fact, they are ahead of pace from where the late 2000's Penguins and and Blackhawks were. Those core of players have landed Pittsburgh and Chicago two and three cups respectively.

McDavid is better than anything the NHL has seen since Wayne Gretkzey and that has Edmonton's division rivals fearful that the next decade could produce a handful of Stanley Cups.

In the 1980's the Oilers won five cups in seven years, which is something unprecedented in today's NHL. Or is it? Comparing Crosby's stats to McDavid's is silly considering how different the NHL has became over the last 10 years. For instance, the number of players that score over a point per game in 2007 compared to 2017 is considerably lower.

To elaborate, if Crosby would have stayed healthy over the last number of years, the Stanley Cup number might be more than two. That's the standard for McDavid. He has overnight put Oilers fans on their edge of their seat that might be the next dynasty in sports.

It has some fans of opposing teams jealous. However, having McDavid in Edmonton might be exactly what hockey needs in Canada and for the streak to end.

I'm curious what the next decade will bring. For next week, Oilers fans will be getting their feet wet in the playoffs for their first taste of meaningful April hockey for some young fans that weren't around in the 80's and don't remember the 90's and early 2000's.